Manchester United's pre-season friendly against Leeds United at Croke Park was abandoned early after children invaded the pitch, with the match called to a halt. The game, which was level at 1-1, saw full-time brought forward as young fans ran onto the field.
Record Crowd and Historic Venue
The match was the first club football game ever held at Croke Park, the home of Irish sport, with 82,000 fans in attendance. Michael Carrick's side came into the game after a draw against PSG and victories over Atletico Madrid and Rosenborg, following a 1-0 defeat to Wrexham almost a month ago.
Leeds, managed by Daniel Farke, had won all four of their pre-season friendlies, including against Sunderland, Liverpool and RB Leipzig. Carrick gave starts to Harry Amass and Tyler Fletcher, while Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha and Youri Tielemans were among the substitutes. Lisandro Martinez, Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo were not involved.
Zirkzee Scores and Leeds Equalise
Joshua Zirkzee started behind Bryan Mbeumo in a fluid No.10 role and opened the scoring with a left-footed finish from the edge of the box after Mbeumo's pass. Zirkzee, linked with a move to Serie A, has been showcasing his skill throughout pre-season, but his future at the club remains uncertain as United begin their Premier League campaign in 10 days against Hull City.
Leeds equalised through Brenden Aaronson, who poked the ball past Senne Lammens after Dan James won the ball off Tyler Fletcher and squared it. It was Leeds' first and only shot on target of the first half.
Second-Half Changes and Abandonment
Carrick gave teenage winger Tynan Thompson his United debut, while Dan Armer and Toby Collyer also came on. Farke made 10 changes at the break, with only Sebastiaan Bornauw keeping his place. Leeds came out stronger in the second half, with Harry Wilson forcing a good save from Lammens.
The stars were introduced on the hour mark, and Fernandes thought he had put United back in front with 10 minutes left, but the linesman's flag was raised for offside. With no VAR in operation, there was no review. The match was then abandoned due to the pitch invasion.
